Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method for data storage, comprising: using File System (FS) software executing on data processing hardware, storing a file in non-volatile storage in communication with the data processing hardware, wherein the file comprises a latest-time value that is exposed to external applications and is indicative of a most-recent time that a storage operation was performed in the file; executing, by the FS software, a software owner module, the software owner module designated as an owner of the file and configured to manage the latest-time value of the file; executing, by the FS software, a plurality of software mapper modules on the data processing hardware, each software mapper module executing on the data processing hardware configured to: access a respective portion of the file stored in the non-volatile storage, the respective portion of the file assigned to the corresponding software mapper module by the software owner module, and the respective portion of the file different than the respective portions of the file assigned to each of the other software mapper modules of the plurality of software mapper modules; and manage and update a respective local value indicative of a most-recent time at which the respective portion of the file was subject to a storage operation by the corresponding software mapper module; and permitting, by the FS software, the plurality of software mapper modules to operate on the file simultaneously, while continually maintaining the latest-time value exposed to the external applications by: each time one of the plurality of software mapper modules performs the storage operation on the respective portion of the file assigned to the corresponding software mapper module by the software owner module, the corresponding software mapper module: updates the respective local value of the respective portion of the file managed by the corresponding software mapper module, stores the updated respective local value of the respective portion of the file in the non-volatile storage, and passes a request to update the latest-time value to the software owner module designated as the owner of the file, the request including the updated respective local value; and updating, by the software owner module designated as the owner of the file, the latest-time value that is exposed to the external applications for the file, by consolidating the latest-time value with update requests received from the software mapper modules, wherein consolidating the latest-time value with the update requests comprises: comparing the updated local value of the received update requests to the latest-time value; when the updated local value is greater than the latest-time value, replacing the latest-time value with the updated local value; and when the updated local value is not greater than the latest-time value, incrementing the latest-time value by a predefined increment, and wherein the software owner module executing by the FS software on the data processing hardware prevents more than one of the plurality of software mapper modules from performing the storage operation on a same portion of the file simultaneously.
A file system method for data storage manages a file's global timestamp, exposed to external applications, indicating its most recent storage operation. An owner software module oversees this global timestamp for the file. Multiple mapper software modules operate concurrently on different, unique portions of the file, each assigned by the owner. Each mapper manages a local timestamp for its assigned portion. When a mapper performs a storage operation on its portion, it updates its local timestamp, stores it persistently, and sends it to the owner for global timestamp update. The owner then consolidates updates: if the received local timestamp is newer than the current global timestamp, the global timestamp is replaced; otherwise, it's incremented by a predefined amount. The owner ensures no two mappers operate on the same file portion simultaneously.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the storage operations comprise write operations that modify content of the file, and wherein the local values and the latest-time value comprise modification-time (mTime) values that are indicative of most-recent times the content of the file was modified.
This file system method for data storage, where a global timestamp is managed by an owner module and local timestamps by mapper modules operating concurrently on a file, specifies that the storage operations are *write operations* which modify the file's content. Consequently, both the local timestamps and the global timestamp are specifically *modification-time (mTime) values*, indicating the most recent times the file's content was modified.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein updating the local modification-time values comprises temporarily storing the updated local modification-time values together with a corresponding modified content in the non-volatile storage.
This file system method for data storage, where write operations modify file content and timestamps are mTime values, further specifies that updating the local modification-time (mTime) values involves temporarily storing these updated local mTime values in persistent storage, directly alongside their corresponding modified file content.
4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising generating and storing a snapshot of the file that comprises the modified content, and deleting the temporarily-stored updated local modification-time values from the non-volatile storage.
This file system method for data storage, where updated local mTime values are temporarily stored with modified content, additionally involves generating and storing a complete snapshot of the file, which includes the modified content. After this snapshot is successfully created and stored, the temporarily-stored updated local mTime values are then deleted from persistent storage.
5. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising, upon recovery from a failure, determining a count of currently-open write operations to the file, and setting the latest-time value that is exposed to the external applications to an updated value depending on the count.
This file system method for data storage, where write operations modify file content and timestamps are mTime values, also includes a mechanism for recovery from a system failure. Upon such a recovery, the method determines the total count of currently-open write operations pertaining to the file. Based on this determined count, the global modification-time (mTime) value, which is exposed to external applications, is then set to an updated value.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predefined increment comprises a finest-resolution increment in a format of the latest-time value.
This file system method for data storage, where a global timestamp is managed by an owner module and local timestamps by mapper modules operating concurrently on a file, defines the "predefined increment" (used when consolidating timestamps if the local timestamp isn't greater than the global one) as the smallest possible resolution increment allowed by the format of the global timestamp value.
7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, upon recovery from a failure, setting the global modification-time to an updated value depending on the predefined increment.
This file system method for data storage, where a global timestamp is managed by an owner module and local timestamps by mapper modules operating concurrently on a file, further comprises a failure recovery mechanism. Upon recovery from a system failure, the global timestamp (latest-time value) is set to an updated value that is determined in part by the predefined increment.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the storage operations comprise read and write operations, and wherein the local values and the latest-time value comprise access-time (aTime) values that are indicative of most-recent times the file was accessed.
This file system method for data storage, where a global timestamp is managed by an owner module and local timestamps by mapper modules operating concurrently on a file, specifies that the storage operations encompass both *read and write operations*. In this configuration, both the local timestamps and the global timestamp are *access-time (aTime) values*, indicating the most recent times the file was accessed.
9. A computing system, comprising: a non-volatile storage; and one or more processors executing File System (FS) software, which are configured to: using the FS software, store a file in the non-volatile storage, wherein the file comprises a latest-time value that is exposed to external applications and is indicative of a most-recent time that a storage operation was performed on the file; execute, by the FS software, a software owner module, the software owner module designated as an owner of the file and configured to manage the latest-time value of the file; execute, by the FS software, a plurality of software mapper modules on the data processing hardware, each software mapper module executing on the data processing hardware configured to: access a respective portion of the file stored in the non-volatile storage, the respective portion of the file assigned to the corresponding software mapper module by the software owner module, and the respective portion of the file different than the respective portions of the file assigned to each of the other software mapper modules of the plurality of software mapper modules; and manage and update a respective local value indicative of a most-recent time at which the respective portion of the file was subject to a storage operation by the corresponding software mapper module; and permit, by the FS software, the plurality of software mapper modules to operate on the file simultaneously, while continually maintaining the latest-time value exposed to the external applications by: each time one of the plurality of software mapper modules performs the storage operation on the respective portion of the file assigned to the corresponding software mapper module by the software owner module, the corresponding software mapper module: updates the respective local value of the respective portion of the file managed by the corresponding software mapper module, stores the updated respective local value of the respective portion of the file in the non-volatile storage, and passes a request to update the latest-time value to the software owner module designated as the owner of the file, the request including the updated respective local value; and updating, by the software owner module designated as the owner of the file, the latest-time value that is exposed to the external applications for the file, by consolidating the latest-time value with update requests received from the software mapper modules, wherein consolidating the latest-time value with the update requests comprises: comparing the updated local value of the received update requests to the latest-time value; when the updated local value is greater than the latest-time value, replacing the latest-time value with the updated local value; and when the updated local value is not greater than the latest-time value, incrementing the latest-time value by a predefined increment, and wherein the software owner module executing by the FS software on the data processing hardware prevents more than one of the plurality of software mapper modules from performing the storage operation on a same portion of the file simultaneously.
A computing system, comprising persistent storage and one or more processors, is configured to manage a file's global timestamp (exposed to external applications) even when multiple software modules concurrently operate on the file. A software owner module oversees this global timestamp. Multiple mapper software modules each access and manage a unique portion of the file, assigned by the owner, each tracking a local timestamp for its portion. When a mapper performs a storage operation on its portion, it updates its local timestamp, stores it persistently, and sends it to the owner. The owner then updates the global timestamp: if the received local timestamp is newer, it replaces the global one; otherwise, it increments the global timestamp by a predefined amount. The system ensures mappers do not concurrently access the same file portion.
10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the storage operations comprise write operations that modify content of the file, and wherein the local values and the latest-time value comprise modification-time (mTime) values that are indicative of most-recent times the content of the file was modified.
This computing system, configured to manage a file's global timestamp via an owner module and local timestamps via mapper modules operating concurrently, specifies that the storage operations performed by the modules are *write operations* that modify the file's content. Consequently, both the local timestamps and the global timestamp are specifically *modification-time (mTime) values*, indicating the most recent times the file's content was modified.
11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to temporarily store the updated local modification-time values together with a corresponding modified content in the non-volatile storage.
This computing system, configured for write operations modifying file content and using mTime values for timestamps, is further configured such that its processors temporarily store the updated local modification-time (mTime) values in persistent storage, directly alongside their corresponding modified file content.
12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate and store a snapshot of the file that comprises the modified content, and to delete the temporarily-stored updated local modification-time values from the non-volatile storage.
This computing system, configured to temporarily store local mTime values with modified content, is also configured for its processors to generate and store a complete snapshot of the file, which includes the modified content. After this snapshot is successfully created and stored, the temporarily-stored updated local mTime values are then deleted from persistent storage.
13. The system according to claim 10 , wherein, upon recovery from a failure, the one or more processors are configured to determine a count of currently-open write operations to the file, and to set the global modification-time to an updated value depending on the count.
This computing system, configured for write operations modifying file content and using mTime values for timestamps, is additionally configured for its processors to handle recovery from a system failure. Upon such a recovery, the processors determine the total count of currently-open write operations pertaining to the file. Based on this count, the global modification-time (mTime) value, exposed to external applications, is then set to an updated value.
14. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the predefined increment comprises a finest-resolution increment in a format of the latest-time value.
This computing system, configured to manage a file's global timestamp via an owner module and local timestamps via mapper modules operating concurrently, specifies that the "predefined increment" (used when consolidating timestamps if the local timestamp isn't greater than the global one) is the smallest possible resolution increment allowed by the format of the global timestamp value.
15. The system according to claim 9 , wherein, upon recovery from a failure, the one or more processors are configured to set the global modification-time to an updated value depending on the predefined increment.
This computing system, configured to manage a file's global timestamp via an owner module and local timestamps via mapper modules operating concurrently, is also configured for its processors to handle failure recovery. Upon recovery from a system failure, the global timestamp (latest-time value) is set to an updated value that is determined in part by the predefined increment.
16. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the storage operations comprise read and write operations, and wherein the local values and the latest-time value comprise access-time (aTime) values that are indicative of most-recent times the file was accessed.
This computing system, configured to manage a file's global timestamp via an owner module and local timestamps via mapper modules operating concurrently, specifies that the storage operations performed by the modules encompass both *read and write operations*. In this configuration, both the local timestamps and the global timestamp are *access-time (aTime) values*, indicating the most recent times the file was accessed.
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August 4, 2020
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